Why The Hell Am I In Antarctica? ON HIATUS
by lipsofanangel2015
Summary: Anastasia always thought she had a sad life. She's been humiliated by a rival in martial arts class. She's been run over and nearly killed. Oh! And now she's stuck in the Avatar world and can't get back out.  ON HIATUS
1. Author's Note

Now everyone knows of the extraordinary controversy surrounding the production of the movie and the original cartoon series. Allow me to add some more juice to the drama by making my own version. And before anyone criticizes me, I have watched A:TLA since its premiere. Don't tell me I don't know what I'm doing. Besides, it's a FANFIC. This is my view.

I will switch out some movie characters with the cartoons, and vice versa. The Fire Nation characters in the movie were great portrayals, so I'm keeping them.

Besides, I think Anastasia would like a guy with a full head. Dev Patel was great in terms of personality. It's not like the hair ruins Zuko's badass-ness.

Everyone else I'm replacing with the cartoon versions because the actors didn't bring out their potential on screen.

I will keep the movie plotline and dialogue of Book 1, but I will add my own scenes. I will also add the deleted scenes of the movie, such as:

+ "Talk to the Dead"

+ "Water Teaches Us Emotion"

+ "Water Tribe Battle"

+ "Field Ablaze"

There will be only ONE major character that I have made, which is Anastasia Michalkva. Let us keep in mind that she has never watched A:TLA or TLA.

**ANASTASIA MICHALKVA**

**Age: 17**

**Birthday: December 5**

**High School: Mayhill High, all-girls (just finished junior year)**

**Specialties: Black-belt in Tenshin-Kai Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, can fight with weapons**

**Hair color: Black**

**Eye color: Hazel**

**Skin color: Light brown tan**

**Ethnicity: Russian (father) and Filipino (mother)**

**Fave colors: Black, gold, and red. For strength, enlightenment, and love.**

**Characteristics: Brave, proud, hardworking. Flirts sometimes.**


	2. Chapter 1: The City is at War

**CHAPTER 1: THE CITY IS AT WAR**

_The city is at war_  
_ Playtime for the young and rich_  
_ Ignore me if you see me 'cause I just don't give a shit_  
_ The city is at war_  
_ Bless the young and rich_  
_ With designer drugs and designer friends_  
- "The City is at War" by Cobra Starship

* * *

"Your foot is off one inch to the side of where it should've been," jeered my sparring partner, Julian Garcia.

_Cling, clang!_

"Your eyes are looking at my ear. I can totally see how high you're aiming for," I retorted while avoiding an incoming head attack by an arnis stick.

_Whoosh, whoosh!_

"Like I said earlier, keep on your toes," he grunted, swinging his weapons towards my ankle in an effort to sweep me and lose balance.

_Whoosh, whoosh!_

"And you better work on your attacks," I muttered, simultaneously jumping over the sticks.

_Whoosh, whoosh!_

Oh yeah. I'm good.

Julian went from attack mode to normal as he let his arms almost relax against his skinny frame and started talking casually. "You alright?"

I lowered my arms as well and raised my eyebrows.

Any good martial artist would have considered his relaxed position, thought he was bluffing, and attack. Any good martial artist would have sensed the tenseness in his elbows or paid attention to the relative angle of his knees. They wouldn't make a mistake and turn their back against Julian Garcia. The most feared, cunning, intelligent, male black-belter in the studio.

And I didn't sense it. I, Anastasia Michalkva, the only martial artist of equal ranking to Julian Garcia in this studio, the only one who had the guts to raise her hand when Sensei Ikau asked "Who'd like to spar Julian?," the only one who fought for dominance. I didn't sense it.

And the next thing I knew, he knocked my arnis sticks out of my hands, made an X around my neck with his weapons, and rammed me against the wall. The surprise caught me off balance, making me slide down towards the floor in agony. Apparently my back couldn't absorb the shock of colliding with the wall. I just sat there. Gasping and breathing heavily. While Julian was grinning mischievously over me. He removed his X-TRAP, kneeled next to me, whispered "Having fun yet?," and walked away.

Quietly, I ran to the dressing room. I wanted to change into my school clothes. But I also wanted to skip school because of the amount of pain I felt. I wanted to run away from the stares. I wanted to run away from the whispers. I wanted to run away from the "OMG! Did Julian just defeat Anastasia?" I honestly couldn't understand what was wrong with me. I honestly couldn't understand why my mom switched me from afternoon to early morning martial arts classes. It doesn't help it if I walked to school like a stiff board, so I decided to go home. Walking home that day, I guess I felt, I dunno, _stupid_?

Maybe I slacked. He HAS been my sparring partner for quite a while now. Ever since I got that black-belt. I used to be able to beat him at everything. Maybe I needed to reread "A Martial Artist's Guide to Sensing Your Opponent's Next Attack." Maybe I should've reworked my fighting pattern. Julian might've found me predictable.

Maybe I didn't want to hurt him?

…

…

…

Nah.

It was like I didn't know myself anymore. Like I was playing doctor with myself: trying to diagnose my virus and treat it before it gets out of hand. That morning, I got so into with my current problem, I wouldn't notice until it was too late that a more deadly problem faced me head on.

And if you asked me how it felt to be run over by a school bus. I wouldn't remember a thing. Apparently my brain couldn't absorb the idea of dying in one world and entering another.


	3. Chapter 2: Through My Own Eyes

**CHAPTER 2: Through My Own Eyes**

_I'm looking at life through my own eyes  
I'm searching for a hero to idolize  
Feeling the pain as innocence dies  
I'm looking at life through my own eyes  
I'm hoping and praying for a brighter day  
I listen to my heart and I obey  
How can I see it any other way?  
I'm looking at life through my own eyes_

_

* * *

_Thought #1: _Am I in heaven?  
_Thought #2: _Why is heaven so cold?_  
Thought #3: _My senses are tingling… I am definitely alive._

Thought #4: _Why the hell am I in Antarctica?_

Then I had this major freak-out period when this tiger-seal hybrid waddled up to me. After screaming, that thing ran away.

And my question changed.

Thought #5: _What WORLD am I in?_

Because I know for a fact that that animal isn't on the endangered list. Or any list for that matter.

My above-the-knee skirt and black boots weren't helping me keep my legs warm, so I went searching around my martial arts bag for a warm blanket. After some moments of intense frustrations I remembered that I only carried face towels. And those hot face towels didn't seem to make a difference. The helpless feeling began to come back to me again. I couldn't attack someone properly, and now I would die in whatever this land was. And if I didn't die first, my legs would probably become immobilized or freeze over. Then maybe I would be eaten alive by those tigers… seals… thingies…

Then the sixth thing I thought of came into my head.

_I must not die. I have already survived being run over. I must not die._

So with my heavy martial arts bag slung across my shoulders I jogged for what seem to be a mile, before I saw two figures not far from me. One was a girl a couple years younger than me, about 14. Another was a boy not much older than her, perhaps 15. Pausing at a good snow dune within hearing distance, I was able to hear and see their nice little conversation. The girl seemed to be moving water. I'm not kidding! She seemed to levitate it out of the ocean, and played around with it while the water was hanging in mid-air. Upon some careful observation, besides moving water she appeared to be doing some basic forms of Tai-Chi.

I moved my attention towards the girl herself, now. Her face suggested that she looked frustrated with something. I couldn't imagine why. Her form of "magic" was nothing I have ever seen before. She was also wearing what seemed to be fur clothing. I made a mental note to myself to ask her if she had any extra clothes. Then I thought of the possibility that she might not speak English. Also, I briefly studied the boy. He did nothing interesting to hold my attention, other than hacking away at the ice with what appeared to be a boomerang. What a weirdo.

_Splash!_

"I'm sorry. I'm SORRY! Hey, I'm SORRY. I'm SORRY, I'm SORRY, I'm SORRY! I'm SORRY! I'm SORRY! Hey! It worked better that time."

The girl dropped the water right on top of her brother! …Or supposed-brother. Haha!

"I thought about Mom. Isn't that strange?" "Yeah. I guess so."

Her mom? So they ARE brother and sister! The girl seems pleased to think about her, the boy seems kinda surprised.

"Just stop doing that stuff around me. I always get wet."

It's confirmed: They speak English. At this point, nothing will be able to stop my uncontrollable snickers. Well maybe except the fact that they started moving away. Anxious to keep up pace, I followed them, snow dune to snow dune. At one point the boy picked up his spear and turned 'round in a circle so dramatically, I thought he sensed me.

"Tiger seal." "Are you sure?"

Apparently the thing that I saw IS a "tiger seal." The brother and sister stopped in what seemed to be an endless sea of ice. The boy briefly shook his fist at the sky while the sister looked directly down at her moccasin boots. The brother, done with his rant towards the sky, also looked downward. Both started backing away.

"There's something under there…"

Wait what? Laying down his weapon, the boy grabs his boomerang and repeatedly hits the ice. Idiot. If something shoots up and bites his head off the blame is on him.

_Boom!_

"It's a cave-in! Move away from the cracks!"

What I tell you? As the siblings were running away, I ran in the same direction. From a comfortable distance of course. Meanwhile, what appeared to be coming out of the ice was a big, gigantic, ice-sphere. And the ice-sphere appeared to have a figure of a glowing boy on the inside. Can my day get any weirder?

"Katara, don't go near it. This is probably some Fire Nation trick."

Oh so that's her name… "Katara"… such a lovely name… What's a "Fire Nation?"

"Just back away really slow."

And the bright girl that Katara is, she grabs the boomerang, and starts to repeatedly hit the sphere.

"KATARA! DO NOT HIT THAT SPHERE!"

Dude. She's already hitting it. And it's too late anyway. The sphere opened up, and now there's this bright, white, light flashing up the sky. Some gas escaped from the sphere and propelled Katara backwards. You know what? I can't take not being part of the action. Dropping my bag, I plunged into the excitement.

"IS SHE ALRIGHT?" I yelled running over to the siblings. _Here comes the interrogation_, I thought to myself. By the time I reached them the gas cleared up to reveal the top part of the sphere to be blown up. But the brother was already on full guard and protection mode.

"Who are you? What's your name? Where you from? ARE YOU FIRE NATION?" he yelled at me, waving his hunting stick in my face. He had Katara stand behind him, and she peered out over his shoulders, looking at me curiously.

"Okay okay relax… No! Relax and DON'T put that thing near me!" I yelled, carefully pushing the pointy end away from my face. "My name is Anastasia, some call me 'Annie'. I'm from Los Angeles, California. You know… America?"

The boy lowered his stick, and asked Katara, who moved out from behind him and looked me in circles. "You've heard of America?"

"Nope, but it sounds like an Earth Kingdom village."

"She looks Fire Nation. Look at her! Her eyes are brown, only the Fire Nation can have brown eyes!"

And yet I was standing there. Feeling completely stupid and irritated. But at least I was learning about a new world and its cultures, figuring out the names of each country. "Hey, I inherited my eye color from my mom, okay?"

"SEE! She admits it! She's a descendant of one of those old Fire Nation families!"

"But see, her uniform-" Katara spoke over her brother while pointing at my school clothes, "They're dark blue and white. The colors of the Water Tribe." After a couple of even more intense scrutinizing by the girl, and more incredibly false accusations from her brother, she smiled and reached out her hand. "I am Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe. This is my brother, Sokka." She pointed. "I recognized you as the girl who followed us when I was waterbending." Nodding at Sokka she mouthed _She's harmless…_

And I accepted her friendliness while her brother stood holding my bag in the background. "I'm Anastasia. I'm sorry for stalking you (insert awkward laugh), but I was curious you see. No one can do… 'waterbending'… from where I come from…"

"And WHERE exactly are you from?" Sokka questioned.

"I already told you. Country of America, State-err-Province of California, and City of Los Angeles. And actually, I really don't think I'm from your world." I said, after some brief thinking.

"What do you mean by that?" Katara asked, with some gleam of curiosity in her eyes.

"Well when I first got here, I was supposed to be dead. I mean, like I got hit by a force that would usually have the person go out unconscious. But instead I ended up here in this…"

And for once, Sokka stopped interrogating me and smiled. "This barren wasteland?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that! And anyways, I followed you guys because you were the closest human beings in terms of distance." I turned to Katara, "There is nobody in my world that can float water. Nobody!" And I looked at myself, feeling like I stood out. "And the only reason I'm wearing a school uniform is because this is the only clothing I have that isn't all sweaty like the fighting uniform in my bag."

"What? In here?" Sokka asked, unzipping the bag and poking his head in.

"DON'T LOOK THROUGH IT!" I yelled, snatching the bag from his hands and rezipping it. "Hasn't anyone taught you about privacy?"

From next to me I could hear Katara whisper, "Don't mind him, he's always like that!"

"Besides," I continued, "don't we have a bigger problem?" pointing at the gigantic semi-sphere that was by now had started to melt in the sun. Sokka, fully into the idea of exploration, ran ahead of us. It only took a couple of seconds for Katara and I to catch up with him. Upon reaching the summit, we were surprised to discover a boy, looking like he'd been passed out, and a gigantic fluffy bison.

_Oh yeah. I'm totally not in Antarctica._

"Is he breathing?" Sokka muttered, referring to the boy. Personally, I thought that it was hard too tell underneath the boy's cloak, but Katara nodded. I started wondering if the whole Southern Water Tribe encountered this type of thing often.

He started looking aimlessly at the sky. "Did you see that light shoot into the sky?" This time Katara and I both nodded quietly, for the boy and the furry beast have awakened. It was our time to become the interrogators.

"What's your name?"

"How did you get here?"

"How did you get in the ice?"

But all we could get from him was some whisperings about the monks from his temple. Katara, pronouncing him exhausted, proposed that we get him back to the village. I agreed, mostly for the sake of the kid and I because wanted to see Water Tribe culture, and we both turned around to Sokka to get his approval. Instead, we saw him covered in… something…

"EW EW! WHAT IS THIS? EW EW!" Sokka screamed, simultaneously rubbing himself against the inner wall of the semi-sphere and scratching himself. Katara and I looked at each other, and telepathically concluded that not seeing what happened would probably save Sokka some ridicule in the future (unfortunately), since we didn't know exactly which "end" the liquidy mass came from.

And the furry beast, apparently concerned and apologetic over his unhygienic blunder, started using his massive tail like a hair dryer. Sokka had managed to get most of the gunk off him, but his success soon failed after the force of the beast-made-wind drove him head-on into the remains that were left on the wall. I could have sworn I heard Sokka's muffled voice yelling "WHAT IS THAT THING?" over the high winds.

"C'mon Sokka we're using 'that thing' as a transport between here and the village, " I laughed.

Thankfully the beast took the hint to stop and kneeled low enough so that we could hop on. "We could use you as a navigator." I grunted, as Katara and I climbed up into the beast's saddle, me clutching the boy over my shoulder. "Or actually, maybe not. Katara," I turned towards her when I got to sit down, "don't you know the way?"

She shook her head and blushed. I thought of her as some one who wanted to know as much as possible about everything in the world. I do too, but we both knew that we had our limitations. I had never been to her village, and according to what she told me, she hasn't gone hunting as far from her home as today. Sokka meanwhile hesitantly and slowly got up onto the saddle. "It's easy, you just have to follow the coastline. Our village is just by the sea." Right when he got the reins, the furry creature started walking out of the sphere and up north.

"Are we going the right way?" I asked Sokka.

He nodded his head, "Yeah. See the ice glaciers and cliffs in the area create just one narrow pathway. Whether the beast wants to our not, we can't turn around because there isn't enough room for us to do that."

"Hmm… that's nice…" I said, lying down in the corner of the saddle, falling asleep. Hmm… maybe I'll wake up to a nice warm chocolate milk… and this hasn't even happened… like it was a dream… but I don't want to have dream-friends… it would be nice to know that they were real… and that I wasn't alive in one world while I was dead in the other …

* * *

"How'd you get all the way out here?"

Huh-what? What happened? I could feel myself turning 'round and 'round in what I think is a bed.

"I ran away from home. We got in a storm. We were forced under the water of the ocean."

God who are these people talking? Can't they see I'm sleeping? Oh wow. Nice hut… Nice hammock… Wait… A hut? A hammock? I'm still here. In this world.

"Oh… um… I see…"

Whose voice is that…? OHMIGOD it's Katara's! I slowly sat up and stretched while watching the conversation between Iceberg-Boy and Katara.

"I wasn't very smart. I was just upset. Thanks for saving me-"

"Here's your bag, Annie." Katara suddenly said, tossing my duffel bag across the room.

I grabbed my bag, unzippered it, and started rummaging around for a hairbrush and mirror. "Thanks for the wake-up call," I laughed.

"Actually," the young boy said, "thanks to the three of you. You two guys and your brother. I probably should get home. They'll all be worried."

"You're not so upset?"

"Not as much as I was."

_Crash, crash!_

All of a sudden I could feel my hammock swinging like crazy, and I saw the furniture in the hut teeter and totter. Katara clung unto a nearby stable chair while the boy struggled to find his balance. My hammock finally gave way and I plunged to the floor, which in itself was shaking as if there was an earthquake. "What's happening?" The boy yelled when he lost control of his body and fell too.

_Crash, crash!_

And the little savior that he was, Sokka emerged through the entrance of the hut with some youngsters. "The Fire Nation is here."

_Crash, crash!_

"WHAT?" Katara yelled over the loud crash of every falling object in the room.

_Crash, crash!_

Sokka seemed nearly immune to the rumbles as he said that the Fire Nation brought ships. He briefly counted all of the little ones, like he was doing roll call, and told them to stay put until he said it was safe.

_Crash, crash!_

The rumbling stopped. The last vases and plates to fall off fell, but otherwise, everything stayed put.

"Is something wrong?" The boy yelled again once he saw Katara move out of the entrance. Apparently the crashing was still going on in his head.

She looked back, "No. Just wait here. You too, Annie," she said, looking at me when I made a move to get up. I squatted, but after she left I tip-toed to the doorway. I wanted to know what was going on, why I was kept from my curiosity, and why it seemed so dangerous that the toddlers were sent to this one room. I mean, where were their parents? Can't they protect them? When was I demoted to babysitter?

"I NEED TO GO POTTY-"

"Shhh!" I turned to hush the child. "Let Auntie Annie listen to what is going on."

I peeked my head out the window, and saw Katara and Sokka not far off. Sokka apparently look disgruntled.

"It can't be coincidence that we find her stalking us, that we break him out of the ice, light shoots into the sky and now the Fire Nation is here."

Looks like I lost Sokka's trust. I didn't even do anything and he just assumes that I'm Fire Nation, again. _Well, I did follow them… _

…_So THIS is the Fire Nation…_ Men in black and red were surrounding the perimeter, like the police after cornering their convict their hideout. The leader, wearing a more decorative parka than the others, took off his helmet. _I need a freaking parka more than him._ Sokka, realizing that at the moment he could use his boomerang to knock out the leader, readied himself. But Katara apparently thought of the consequences of getting the enemy angry. Suddenly I started thinking of how she belonged to the Southern Water Tribe, and was a waterbender. Putting two and two together, I figured that the invaders were firebenders, and that the Earth Kingdom Katara mentioned a while ago consisted of citizens who were earthbenders.

"I NEED TO POTTY-"

"Shhh!" This time it didn't come from me, but Iceberg-Boy, who found himself eavesdropping alongside me. He evidently found the leader's speech interesting.

"I am Prince Zuko…"

A prince, huh? From here he looks kind of cute… But then again, aren't all princes like that?

"… son of Fire Lord Ozai and heir to the throne!"

Yeah, erm, I kind of figured that out when you declared yourself "Prince."

"Bring me ALL your elderly!"

That sentence was unexpected. All of Prince Zuko's men barged into the huts each of them taking out the oldest of the village. One of the men started walking toward our hut, and the boy and I made a quick dash to the opposite side of the room to comfort the kids. The boy put his hood back on, hiding his tattoos. But then the man came into our hut. Immediately the kids stared him down, while Iceberg-Boy pushed his hood down lower and I looked away from the intruder. We thought he would leave, but then realizing how suspicious it was for a boy to keep a hoodie on indoors, removed it. He also looked at me hard enough to think that a dozen or so girls in this village were wearing parkas, while I was wearing a blazer and an above-the-knee skirt.

There was a brief struggle involving some loud screaming (the kids) and yelling (me). The man dragged both of us out, the boy by his hood, and I by the collar. As the helpless feeling came back to me, I started waiting for the guy's grip to loosen. It was the number one sign that he was either getting tired of lugging us around, or wasn't careful enough to realize that I might literally slip through his fingers. When it did, I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Thankfully he let go of the boy and instead started yelling in agony. Unfortunately this captured the attention of the men posted at nearby huts. With more rushing toward me, I hastily let go and instead stuck my leg out in front to trip him and buy some time to escape. I heard a sickening crack, and knew that I must have broken one of the man's bones. _Here comes that guilty feeling…_

The Iceberg-Boy and I stood back-to-back, facing the circle of opponents that was slowly closing in on us. Looking at the situation, I realized that nothing in my martial arts career has trained me for this. I realized that my sensei has trained me to defend myself against my peers, not against those of higher authority. I don't think my instructor, or even myself, could have foreseen the predicament that I am in right now. And it soon dawned upon me, that staying in this world might mean even more scary, adrenaline-rushing, and near-death experiences. Given my downfall against Julian Garcia, I wasn't sure if I could handle anything.

_Stupid Julian had to make me mad the night I "died"… Stupid Julian had me lost in my thoughts and run over by a bus the night I "died"… Stupid Julian had me stuck in this world the night I "died"… Stupid Julian was the reason I was going to die here, of all places…_

"You know, I just realized we never had a proper introduction," the boy said, snapping me out of my revere.

"Actually, introducing each other now still wouldn't be proper, if that's what you're thinking."

And the boy, a mind-reader I suppose, laughed and said "I'm Aang, of the Southern Air Temple. You don't have to tell who you are, your friends Katara and Sokka already told me."

"So you're an airbender? Well, now that we know each other, I suppose we're going to die as acquaintances." I said, unusually unoptimistic. It's not my problem, it's the fact that the circle of Fire Nation soldiers were but five feet away from our necks.

"Die? No! You have a weapon, right?" Four feet away from our necks.

"No. It's in my duffel bag. Where's your staff?" Three feet away.

I could feel Aang remove himself from his formation, so I did too. And yet before even tuning around to face him, I could feel his tension vibrating off him. "It's in the hut…" Two feet away.

At one feet they unleashed their spears (does everyone in this world have 'em?) pointing them toward our necks. It was obvious that we were to go or die. Hesitantly and slowly, Aang and I rose up our hands in surrender. As soon as we made it clear, most of men went back to their posts, while two left behind. One made us walk in front of him towards Prince Zuko with our hands tied, the other stayed behind with my duffel bag and Aang's staff. Upon reaching the prince, Aang had already put back on his hood. Pushing us to kneel on our knees, the man gave a brief description of why we were brought forth.

* * *

**ZUKO'S POV**

Just standing there and watching everything take place, yes I did in fact feel a little guilty.

The girl who was fighting, the one without a parka, couldn't stand a chance against the six of my men who circled around her and the boy. _She's a cutie, that's for sure. Tanned skin, black wavy hair, above-the-knee skirt… Yeah, a total cutie. _And maybe it was because of her cuteness that I didn't want to look at her when the the soldiers pointed their spears at their throat. Or maybe I just didn't want to fall in love now, when I'm so close to finding the Avatar. _But can't a girl be an Avatar? Anyone's capable. __ And not many girls I've seen so far can fight like that... Except maybe for Azula, nobody can beat her…_

_

* * *

_

**ANASTASIA'S POV**

_Ohmigod, Prince Zuko is cuter up close… I still don't like him because of his men arresting me, though…_

"Prince Zuko, these two resisted arrest. The boy has tattoos that are obsolete in the Southern Water Tribe customs. The girl wears clothes that are nontraditional in any village I've seen. They both seem to exhibit superior fighting skills, with the girl exhibiting the most advanced ability and was able to break the ankle of Lieutenant Jing-"

_Guiltiness… _I could feel myself being overwhelmed over everything that has passed, and sense everyone's eyes fall on me as I cried out, "YOU'RE SCARING ALL THESE PEOPLE! YOU MONSTER!" And it must have been true, because next thing I knew I felt a slap on the side of my face, coming from what I believed to be the man who brought me here. I think he was supposed to knock me out but miscalculated and figured that a dainty little girl was supposed to get a tiny hit.

The prince, who was looking at Aang's hood the whole time, made him take it off. Upon revealing the tattoos, Prince Zuko seemed to do a double-take. His eyes looked rapidly from Aang's tattoos, to his clothes. Then from me he looked at what remained of the markings of the slap, to my clothes. He seemed furious has he yelled down at us, "Who are you two? WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES?"

"We don't need to tell you anything." After learning my last lesson in obedience to the authorities, I kept shut. Aang apparently didn't seem inclined to do such a thing.

"FIREBENDERS! I'm taking you and your little girlfriend to my ship-"

Woah what? I'm nobody's girlfriend! Yet…

"-If you don't come, I'll burn down this village."

Aang and I looked at each other, and since it may have been possible to tell I was afraid of getting a harder slap, Aang spoke as leader of our little duo. "We'll go with you. Just don't hurt anyone."

Prince Zuko relaxed a bit, but not totally. Leading the way, the men pushed us forward. _So this is how it's going to be… Rotting in a dungeon cell, being tortured, interrogated, or hanged…_ I looked back on the Southern Water Tribe. _At least it was a beautiful place to see…_

Thought #7: _For sure, I will die here._


	4. Chapter 3: Glory of Love

**CHAPTER 3: Glory of Love**

J_ust like a knight in shining armor_  
_From a long time ago_  
_Just in time I will save the day_  
_Take you to my castle far away_  
_I am a man who will fight for your honor_  
_I'll be the hero you're dreaming of_  
_We're gonna live forever_  
_Knowing together that we_  
_Did it all for the glory of love_  
- "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera

* * *

"This is bad. Real bad," I said, pacing around the room. Prince Zuko dropped us off in a room that was anything but fancy. All it had was one table and a couple of chairs around it. I would have settled with being locked up in the control room, so I could push the right buttons to make a distraction while Aang and I escaped. I would have settled with being in a room with opened windows, just as a last resort in case we haven't thought of other way of getting out.

But apparently the Fire Nation isn't THAT stupid.

The walls weren't soundproof either (I just realized they were metal, which sound vibrates through), and you could hear Zuko yelling and demanding for two watch guards to stay outside the door just to make sure we wouldn't do any tricks. Apparently no soldier wanted to be near me after I broke Lieutenant Jing's ankle. Mr. Angry-Hotcakes opened the door, stuck his head in just to make sure we were still there, and closed it. I could hear the jangling of keys and a click. The door's locked.

_That insubordinate creature…_ "AAARGGGHHH!" I practically threw myself against the door and banged on it like it was a punching bag until my throat cracked and my fists started to throb red. _It isn't fair that life isn't fair…_ Because honestly, I wanted to be in my own happy little world. I wanted to be in a world where nothing hurt me and my friends. I wanted to not feel seasick.

"You know, Aang? Jumping out of open windows seems like a pretty good idea right now."

Aang jumped up from where he was sitting, and started hovering on a little air-ball he made. He looked so funny and childish. Figuring in his goofiness and height, I considered him 12 or 13-ish. Me? Sitting in one of the little chairs, I just looked depressed. "Just relax Anastasia! We'll think of something."

_Here comes that cranky teenage attitude…_ "Oh yeah? Like what? Turn ourselves invisible, steal back your staff and my duffel bag, and fly away all happily ever after?" I asked.

"…Well. It's a good start!" He yelled, while spinning around the room. "Our main goal is to find our stuff-"

"Like that's possible."

Aang whizzed by me. "-And escape."

"In case you haven't noticed, Aang, Prince Zuko locked the doors. The windows are closed, and crashing into them isn't exactly the quietest way to do this. Besides, we're surrounded by WATER. Escaping into water = drowning. I can't swim."

* * *

**ZUKO'S POV

* * *

**

_Damn. That girl can scream. My eardrums are STILL ringing…_

Walking with my uncle from his bedroom to the makeshift conference room, I thought of what was to happen. _I regret myself for bringing my uncle into this. It's not like I had the choice. There are two captives. Both exhibit exceptional fighting skills, but the girl was good enough to break Lieutenant Jing's ankle. But the boy has those mysterious tattoos…_

"So Prince Zuko, how was your raid in the Southern Water Tribe? Find the Avatar? Found any beautiful ladies?" My uncle asked to fill in the silence.

_Did I hear him right? _"We found two primary suspects. A young boy and a teenage girl."

"I see. And which one am I interrogating this time?"

"The girl."

"Why not you, Prince Zuko?"

"Because I'd rather interrogate the person who's more likely to be the Avatar." I said slowly, not bothering to hide my impatience while squeaking a finger into my ear.

But my uncle, who was as patient as ever, didn't raise his voice. Thankfully. "Who's not to say that the girl isn't the Avatar?"

"Who's not to say the boy ISN'T?"

"Zuko, the Avatar hasn't been seen in a century. The girl, from what you told me, is a teenager. The boy, from what you told me, is a little boy. Now I don't know about you, but it's only logical that since she's a bit closer to 100-years than the child, she should be interviewed by YOU."

_I knew I shouldn't have interrupted him from making his tea…_

"Besides, Prince Zuko, you might make a new lady-friend!" Uncle grinned, slapping the back of my shoulder. He forgot that I was still wearing my armor, and seconds later started massaging his hand to relieve the pain. I would have laughed at him, if it were not for the fact that we reached the conference room door and could hear every bit of the conversation that the boy and girl were having.

* * *

**ANASTASIA'S POV

* * *

**

Aang finally stopped spinning, pulled out a chair next to me, and sat down. "Well, unless we go with your 'jumping out of the window' idea, then we're stuck here."

"Is there a way to keep myself from getting bored?" I groaned, thudding my head on the table.

He thought for a moment, and then his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "We could spend this time learning more about each other! Not just 'What's your name?' or 'How old are you?', but 'What's your favorite cookie dough?' or 'Name six different words to describe yourself.'"

I started leaning on the back legs of my chair. "Whatever. Shoot."

"Hobby?" Aang asked, leaning forward. Like he was hungry to learn the culture of an American 17-year-old girl.

"Writing. Poetry, nonfiction, fiction, fanfiction… Oh it's my turn. Favorite animal?"

"Flying lemur monkeys. If you were stuck on an island and could have brought anything with you, what ONE ITEM would you bring?"

"Sneakers, 'cause I hate it when sand gets into my sandals. Biggest fear?"

"Getting eaten alive. YOUR biggest fear?"

"Getting BURRIED alive. If you could eat one thing in the world before you died, what would it be?"

"A pie. I love pie. Every single kind known to mankind. Or at least in this world. What do you want to do before you die?"

"Go skydiving, go cage diving with sharks, visit all the fashionably fabulous places in the world, be in two places at once (checked, dead in one alive in the other), win the lottery. Describe your style."

"Conservative. Tea or water?"

"Tea. Water is so plain. Coke or Pepsi?"

"…Um, what's a Coke and what's a Pepsi?"

"Ahhh, right. I forgot we're not from the same worlds. My bad. Carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore?"

"Herbivore, or vegetarian."

"Woah. You're vegetarian?"

"Yeah. The monks at my temple taught me that all life is sacred, so I took it to the next level and became a veggie."

"Seriously? Because I'm vegetarian too!" _Aang and I are officially brotha and sista!..._

"No way."

"Way."

"So why are YOU vegetarian?"

"My mom's a semi-vegetarian. She always wanted to be fully committed, but like twice a week she'd treat herself to some beef or sirloin steak. And, I don't know, I guess I wanted to show her it's not that hard. I got used to the idea of living without meat, but my mom hasn't changed."

Aang and I heard a click on a door. We both jumped up to turn around. I thought that somehow Katara and Sokka had got on board, and are trying to escape with us. It was a thought of desperation, but it kept me cheerful. Unfortunately what came into the room, aka Prince Zuko, didn't make me happy. But he came with someone older, like in his late 40s and early was the first one to speak up. "What do you want from us?"

"My nephew wants me to do an interrogation with you. I've done this hundreds of times. It only takes a few moments. And then you're both free to go." The elder man said and smiled at us.

_For the first time, I saw someone from the Fire Nation smile…_

Wait… "Then who's questioning me?" I asked.

By the time I finished putting two and two together, I realized I didn't want that question answered. But the nice elder, who was already pulling up a chair in front of Aang, just smiled and said "My nephew." And then he turned to Zuko. "Maybe the interrogation should be in separate rooms? I'd like to stay here."

I looked at him, expecting him to say it wasn't him who was going to question me. It was, I could tell because until now I hadn't realized that he was watching me while I listened to the uncle. Analyzing my facial expressions, studying where I moved to since he last walked in here, watching how I fiddled my thumbs. I personally, could not understand how the nice, older gentlemen, was a relative of… I know it's totally clichéd, but… How can he be a relative of a spoiled, bratty, stuck-up, prince?

He motioned out the door and muttered "Follow me." So I did. Oh how I wanted the uncle to be the one interrogating me! While we both walked down the hallway, I could hear the uncle questioning Aang. "So… what kind of tea do you like?"

_Yeah. That's probably better than what I'll be going through…_

"In." Zuko said, holding out the door for me after we reached my conference room. _Well at least he learned some manners… _

It was an empty room, except for two chairs and a table with a vase to the side. Similar to the one Aang and I were stuck in a couple of moments ago. I quickly scanned the room for escape routes while sitting down. No air vents. No open windows. No weapons to use on a perpetrator. None, unless you counted the door. Unfortunately Zuko came in, closed it and pulled out a chair in front of mine. _Now what did my mother tell me about behaving properly around gentlemen?_

_Act like a lady…_

I crossed my legs. Yes, I was sorta flirting. But it's the closest I can get to acting mature.

Prince Zuko concentrated on searching my eyes for lies as he started interrogating me. He apparently has a great work ethic. "What's your name?"

_Be polite…_

"Anastasia Michalkva."

"How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen."

"Are you married?"

_And be as composed as possible in awkward situations…_

"… Um, excuse me?" _Is he hitting on me?_

"I said, 'Are you married?'" He asked, slowly annunciating the words like I was stupid.

"Um, no sir."

"It is customary for fathers to allow their daughters to marry the man of their choice at sixteen." _In this world yes, but in mine? Hell no! Who cares if I'm single or not?_

"Yeah? YOU don't look that much older than me." I snapped.

Zuko did what was supposed to be an evil eye with his left. It seemed wickeder with the scar, which I had just noticed right now. Apparently it was barely noticeable far away, but upfront it sticks out. _How the hell did he get that?_ "I'm eighteen." He muttered.

"Your wife must worry about you a lot, sailing around the world."

"I haven't found a wife," the apparently agitated prince grumbled. "I'm focusing on more important things," _How can he not have a wife? The guy is royalty! Even with the scar he looks like real material! I bet back in the Fire Nation there's a whole line of beautiful and gorgeous girls waiting to be picked. _"Like what element can you bend?" He asked me, bringing me back to earth. No pun intended.

I_s he talking about water, earth, fire, and air?_ "None sir."

"Which nation are you from?"

"None sir," I hesitated, because his eyebrows furrowed, "I'm not from this world."

"Don't play games with me!"

_Okay, honestly? Do I have to explain this to everyone?_

"Alright, alright, I'll explain. This dude humiliated me and I got all depressed. I was walking home when-" _How am I going to explain the bus? _"-something hit me from behind and I got knocked out. In my world I'd be dead by then, but by some cosmic coincidence I ended up here. I don't know what my purpose in being here is. I don't know why I got stuck, in all of the places in this world, the Southern Water Tribe. And I honestly don't know why you're wasting your time questioning me, BECAUSE ALL I WANT IS TO BE HOME!" I yelled in his face.

* * *

**UNCLE IROH'S POV

* * *

**

The young boy, who he told me was named Aang, and I were calmly sipping some citrus tea. We were discussing his background, any family that he may have and his bending abilities, when all of a sudden we could hear my nephew's new lady-friend arguing with him. I never knew such a lovely young girl like her be heard across a ship like that. But then again, I have a wife…

"-BECAUSE ALL I WANT IS TO BE HOME!"

_Great Agni! What did he do now?_

Then there was a deadly silence. I heard more muffled yelling, a gasp, a smack, and then a couple of seconds later, something broke. By now the boy Aang had stopped drinking his tea, and began looking anxiously from the door to me, as if he wanted to ask me if my nephew was always like that. And he is. Next I heard a door slam, followed by another. In came the young lady, with Zuko hot on her heels.

* * *

**ANASTASIA'S POV

* * *

**

"Are you two done?" The uncle asked once Zuko and I came in. We both nodded yes, while simultaneously treating our hurt zones. I was rubbing the cheek that he slapped, while he was rubbing the bump I gave him on the back of his head. Turning to me, he said "You know, I asked him to make nice." (I blushed, like asking whether or I was married was his way of making nice) Nodding at Zuko he said "I was just about to give him his test when you two stormed in."

The uncle stood up, grabbed a tray and sat it down. "This is a test of your bending abilities." In it were a candle, a teapot, and a rock. He lit a small flame onto the candle, and Aang made a hand motion. As he did that you could've sworn the flame nearly blew away, as if a wind came in. Zuko and I looked at each other, and we both knew that all of us haven't experienced anything like this before. But I'm still not sure if he believed my story. His uncle held up the teapot. Slowly he poured out all the water that was inside it. Aang made another hand motion, and what was once a big blob is now a perfectly round circle. The elder remained unmoved, as if he's seen this a dozen times, and placed the rock on the table. Just one hand motion and the rock went from lying flat to standing up.

Zuko stepped forward, it seemed like he was almost breathless over what has just transpired. "You are my prisoner… airbender. I'm taking you back to the Fire Nation."

_WHAT? _"You said he-"

"I apologize," said his uncle. "I should have explained further. If you failed the test, as all others did, you were free to leave. And as it turns out, you were one of the only in the entire world who could passed this test. It's truly an honor to be in your presence."

Aang and I looked at each other. _So what happens to me?_

"Don't even try to escape!" Zuko yelled at him. "This is a warship-"

But he didn't get to finish. Aang airbended the door open, jumped over the two, grabbed me, and propelled us out the room. Once we got out, Aang locked it by turning using a nearby iron bar to hold the latch. "C'mon!" He yelled, already getting a head start running down the hallway. "We need to find my staff! It doubles as a hang glider!" We probably opened a dozen doors before we found ourselves on the deck. Leaning against the wall next to the entrance going below deck, was Aang's glider.

"Anastasia, you have to stay behind."

"What? No Aang, I'm going with you."

"Listen, we all have a place in this world. Why you were sent here, I don't know-"

"I was sent here because I was DEAD!"

"-But I can't shake the feeling that you're supposed to change something. To bring the goodness out of something. I can't shake the feeling that I'm suppose to leave you here."

"Yes, and you're leaving me on a Fire Nation ship why?"

"My mentor, Monk Gyatso, once told me that to right the wrong and bring the good out of the bad, you have to start at the source."

"Which is the Fire Nation?"

"Yeah."

"Well I don't get how you think."

"Me either. But it's not my thoughts," and then Aang smiled and thumped his heart "it's my feelings."

_My god Aang is so emotional. I mean, I am too, but I don't go seek out my answers from my heart. Last time I checked, passing Calculus consisted of using your head._

Then Aang's eyes lit up. "Besides, I could always rescue you some time later." He paused, then looked around. You could hear footsteps of probably a dozen or so soldiers following us. Dear God, it's like being arrested in the Southern Water Tribe. Hundreds of armored guards ready to point something at your neck? Not again...

_Okay, so how does James Bond come up with those freakishly cool yet elaborate escape plans? No air vents! No rope that I could slide down on! No funky sports cars! No silencing duct tape! No talking wristwatch! No cell phone signal! No loyal sidekick!_

And considering Aang's decision to leave me behind, he doesn't count. I was so doomed.

_RAAAAWWWWRRRRRR!_

And then I saw it. It was that big fluffy monster that sneezed/peed/coughed-up-phlegm on Sokka! Despite me knowing about the monster's gross history, I could not be any more happier to see a way out of this warship.

"Don't move! You have no where to run!" yelled a very agitated Prince Zuko.

Happy thoughts are gone.

Aang pressed a button on his staff, and the whole thing unfolded. "Stay behind, alright?" But before I could respond, he flew away. As he landed on the gigantic ball of monster fur, I could feel all eyes fall on me as I ran back inside the hallway. Maybe I'll find a room to barricade myself into, I thought to myself while desperately running into the first room that caught my eye. Alas, my plan had a fault to it, because after all that took place my body felt so weak. I didn't have the strength to latch or lock the door. I just swung it behind me. Now I know what I did next must've looked stupid, but I was at a dead end. Looking out an open window, I suddenly remembered my old plan. Zuko entered the room and was about to lunge at me when I made a split second decision to jump out the window.

And all I could remember was falling.

And then splashing into the water.

I could feel the pain in my lungs as I realized I forgot to gather some air before reaching the sea.

I could feel my whole brain not thinking. My whole body aching. Myself feeling like I was dying.

And then I felt a grab of my waist.

Seconds later, a pull.

It must have been a couple of minutes between the time I was submerged and the time it took me to be brought back up. When the air came back to me, my brain was able to process my thoughts again. I wasn't dying. I was living. I could feel myself being placed on something metal. I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn't because my body was still weak. So I closed them.

And slept while thinking of a happy world, where none of my friends got hurt.


End file.
